The Learning by Doing Children’s Program, run by the Great Plains Virtual Academy of Reading (GPVA), has produced a very fun and engaging worksheet for children to use in conjunction with the Reading Worksheet Animal Farm by George Orwell. The worksheet measures children’s level of knowledge of history by asking children to ask two or three questions about specific events in the novel. This quiz is a great way to measure children’s knowledge and they will find that the quiz does not have the same difficulty level as the book, which is more about the problem solving skills needed to solve the problems that arise.
In this worksheet, the child answers five specific questions, taking into account all the specific points of interest in the Animal Farm story. Then, in order to develop further Reading Skills and Strategies, they are asked a question from the timeline of events in the book.
This second worksheet is an interesting one that helps the child to set the stage for further learning by letting them learn the reasons behind why the character Uncle Jim chose to abuse his power. The following worksheet requires the child to take the same amount of time, but then they are asked a more difficult question from the timeline.
The third worksheet asks the child to define a statement from the timeline and try to make a theory about what was used to build the following statement. It helps to make the timeline interesting and the information given is based on the Animal Farm events that happened prior to the point when the novel begins. The fourth worksheet again focuses on the timeline, but this time the child is asked to come up with the statement that best describes the characters, with the final question of what was done to cause the statement to be created.
Learning by Doing also includes numerous other related quizzes that are designed to help enhance reading skills. They include a variety of topics such as Greek and Roman mythology, American History, English Literature, Shakespeare, and Children’s Literature. This allows the children to learn more about these subjects and develop the reasoning abilities needed to understand the context of these subjects and the points of view that are used to create them.
After you complete the Learning by Doing program, the program also includes reading passages and being asked to summarize what you read, meaning that you can develop additional Reading Skills and Strategies. You can go beyond the Learning by Doing program by completing the quizzes to learn more about subjects that you are already familiar with but may not have developed the reasoning skills to grasp.
What is most fascinating about Learning by Doing is that it gives you more flexibility than other courses that focus only on reading. Many of the activities you complete in this program also aid in developing social skills and developing the ability to work in groups, but the general concept is to develop the overall vocabulary and the reasoning abilities needed to function properly in society.
Although it may be difficult to learn to read the Animal Farm by comparing the book to a classroom, the quizzes, especially the ones that focus on the timeline will help develop your ability to focus, compare, and synthesize the details of the novel. Furthermore, it will increase your social skills, skills that you will need if you plan to pursue a career in education. It is truly a fun and engaging method of helping children to develop the skills they need to excel in their studies and prepare themselves for success in life.
